Carnival Herald
by Lia Bates
Summary: Cassa worked as a witch in a carnival, telling fortunes that turned out to be correct foresight. She was rather surprised to go from carnival witch to carnival herald . . . (COMPLETED)
1. Chapter 1

Carnival Herald  
  
*  
  
For people who have read 'Take a Thief' really well; my main character did, apparently, exist. She is mentioned on the bottom of page 306.  
  
DISCLAIMER: (I normally forget disclaimers, so just mentally add them to all my work.)  
  
Valdemar is the sole intellectual property of Mercedes Lackey; I can take no credit for any of the ideas represented in this story.  
  
*  
  
Cassa looked around the tent in satisfaction. It really was impressive; the black-painted canvas darkened the inside; none of her customers would be able to tell that she was only an adolescent. And as for the glowing potions that lit the room -  
  
Who needs glowing potions, when a dye filled glass jar with a candle behind works just as well?  
  
Cassa was particularly proud of that addition to the 'witch's' tent. It had been her own idea, when she took over after old Saltra died.  
  
all right, tent, check. Black clothes, check. Hair dye - Cassa wrinkled her nose; privately, she hated the artificial black color that she used to hide her angelically fair hair - check. Nose wart - no.  
  
Cassa hurried through the fair, still in various stages of preparation, to find the tent for the dancers. Her mother would be there, painting the faces of dancing girls and tuning her instruments, and Cassa's mother knew how to make the most convincing facial disfigurements as well as her skill with beauty enhancements.  
  
Cassa joined a queue of fluttering dancers. She did not envy them their supposedly privileged position; Cassa got stage fright in front of an audience, and anyway, she was too tall, thin, and definitely not graceful enough to be a good dancer.  
  
"One nose wart, please, mother." Said Cassa, having reached the front of the queue. Ceara grinned at her daughter and rolled the flesh-colored plaster between her fingers before applying it skillfully to the side of Cassa's nose.  
  
"You look awful, darling." Ceara smiled. "Now, shoo. The fair opens in less than half a Candlemark." Cassa smiled in reply before slipping out of the crowded tent and returning to her own, dark enclosure.  
  
Inside her tent again, she checked the candles again and placed some of the strong incense on to burn. Then she fastened the tent flap shut, allowing the candles and incense to fill the tent with warmth and smoke.  
  
*  
  
Cassa surveyed her first client shrewdly. The girl wanted her fortune told. She looked as though she would like to be a housewife and a mother - so, would it be a tall, dark, stranger, or something else?  
  
She stared into the clouded glass ball that was her crystal globe, still calculating the girl's personality type.  
  
A flash of sapphire filled her vision, and she saw this girl as a woman, older, plumper. She had a young girl holding her skirt, and beside her a man - with curly, pale brown hair, and tanned skin.  
  
Well, why not?  
  
"You will marry a young man, not much older than you." Cassa said, pitching her voice low and speaking slowly. She could feel the girl's attention. "He will have light brown, curly hair, and tanned skin, and you will be very happy together."  
  
The girl gasped. "Oh!" she exclaimed happily. "That sounds like Gregori the cookshop boy!"  
  
Cassa smiled to herself as the girl left the tent. She must have unwittingly described someone the girl was sweet on.  
  
Then the next girl came in. She was thin and sour looking, a description that was proven after she spoke her first words.  
  
"It says on the sign that you are a witch." The girl said. "Could you do a curse on someone for me?"  
  
"I could." Cassa said. Well, I can't really, but I will have been long gone before you realize that! "Who do you wish cursed, and why?"  
  
The girl opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she saw the cat that jumped on the table. "Is - is that your familiar?" she asked eagerly.  
  
Cassa looked at the cat. In the dark light, the cat's two white paws were not visible, and the green glow from one of her dye-jars had fooled many people into thinking Mitt a familiar spirit. Even though she's just some kitten I adopted two years ago.  
  
"Yes, this is my familiar spirit." Cassa lied. "He has sensed your wish and come to help me in casting this curse."  
  
The girl looked a bit frightened, but she continued. "I want to curse that insufferable little Jeserlyn. She dared to seduce away my Michel." The girl paused, presumably deciding on a suitable punishment. "I want her to be ugly, so no one will ever like her again!"  
  
"Such a thing can be done, with enough power." Cassa replaced the glass ball with a bowl. She crushed some of the pungent leaves at the bottom, and blew stealthily onto the fine powder also in the bowl, causing a delicate white mist to fill the air.  
  
The girl was obviously impressed, and Cassa began to chant quietly. From long experience, she knew to stop when the powder began to disperse, and her 'spell' was very effective in appearances.  
  
"Remember -" Cassa warned as her client rose. "- such a spell will not work all at once. The results will take time."  
  
The girl nodded eagerly, and poured the two pennies that Cassa charged for a curse into her hand.  
  
Cassa smiled, and stroked Mitt. It was amazing how much fun being a carnival witch could be! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
*  
  
Cassa sighed in exasperation as the wind flicked the black canvas from her hand. She retrieved it, and finished stuffing the tent into the pack. That done, she more carefully packaged her other props, adding them to the tent's bag.  
  
The resulting pack was loaded carefully onto the back of a wagon, and Cassa moved her attention to some of the other equipment lying around. It wasn't as difficult a task as it might have been; if you looked carefully, each piece of faire property was labeled with which wagon it was meant to go in, and what tent it originated from. It made loading up or down easier.  
  
Mitt rubbed against her ankles, and Cassa lifted the cat into her arms before heading for the main tents, where there would be other work to do. Mitt customarily traveled with the food supplies; the rest of the faire tolerated Cassa's pet solely because she kept the vermin away from the foodstuffs that many of the travelers depended on for their livelihood.  
  
The wagons were nearly ready to depart; already one or two people were sneaking away from the work by sitting in their normal wagon. Generally, there was a space on one wagon or another for a weary traveler, but most of the faire walked at least some of the journey to their next spot.  
  
Mitt was placed in the food wagon; she, too, often wandered off the wagon, but normally found her way back with ease. Part of that may have been due to Cassa; when she saw the cat departing, she would leave crushed catmint leaves by the roadside to act as a trail. She was always careful not to let others see her, however; the life of a traveler was hard, and the others were scornful of her placing so much value on a cat.  
  
Mitt fell asleep behind a sack of flour, and Cassa hurried to help with the last of the packing.  
  
It was only the dancing tent, now, and that, with a few modifications, was left over the 'stage'. The stage itself was linked to the front part of a wagon, and the troupe was on the road again.  
  
*  
  
The faire had camped that night by a river, and Cassa had gladly washed the horrible black dye from her hair. Normally she would have lamented the waste of dye, but they would be on the road for at least three days, and the cheap dye would have worn off in any case.  
  
Now Cassa was lying in her bedroll under the food wagon. The faire council (It would surprise people if they knew we actually had a council, she thought) had decided that since the cat that protected the wagon answered to her only, she should sleep there. They had declared that she was unlikely to filch the food, a statement that made Cassa smile; she had thought they would never forget the occasion when, as a little, she had dared to make off with one of the hand size sweet pies intended for the customers. The long and well remembered lecture had ensured that she would never dare to steal again.  
  
Some faires actually invited thieves to join them, on the condition that they split their takings. The bunch of travelers who formed the romantically named 'Sunset Faire' did not. They were one of the less well off fairs - "Poor but honest", as the Faire council instructed - but Cassa agreed with this policy.  
  
Taking money for unperformed curses was all very well - in Cassa's opinion, anyone cruel-minded enough to want a curse performed probably deserved to lose a few pennies. And besides, what her clients actually paid for was an actor to convince them that their enemy would meet some misfortune.  
  
I don't think I'd like to be a witch for true, Cassa shivered in her bedroll, in spite of the warm, summer night. Having real power would be - scary.  
  
It was best to stick to acting and guesswork - although being a fortune teller was not as easy as it seemed. It required a great deal of intellect, to decide what would please your client. I've been lucky that, so far, my imagination hasn't run dry.  
  
With the comforting thought of success, Cassa fell asleep.  
  
*  
  
The next day was more of the same, alternately walking or riding on the wagons, but today Cassa walked with Gav. He was one of the musicians, but he had not been with the faire for long. Cassa suspected that he'd run away; he was only a few years older than her, far too young to be the wandering minstrel he posed as.  
  
Whatever his background, he was good company, in spite of his incessant teasing.  
  
"Your hair is much prettier blonde," Gav commented once, impudently pulling on the tail of bound hair that lay across her back.  
  
He was correct; the sticky black dye suited her as ill as the billowing black dress she wore as her costume. At the moment she looked quite different from 'Witch Cassa'; she was lean and tall for her sixteen years, and wore the trews and tunic that showed this to her best advantage. Silver- gray eyes - not the green that her 'profession' demanded, nor the blue that Cassa would have wished them - contrasted nicely with the gold hair, and pale skin that looked unhealthy on Witch Cassa looked well with her lighter coloring. Cassa's one regret about being the witch was the ugly costuming needed, but the amusement value made up for that.  
  
"So kind," she returned dryly, raising a sardonic eyebrow at this lukewarm compliment.  
  
Gav sometimes pretended to be in love with her, paying her fulsome compliments - something that never failed to amuse her - but lately he had been trying to catch the eye of Lea, one of the dancers. The only reason he walked with her was because Lea had sprained an ankle, and was confined to her wagon.  
  
He grinned at her. "But being a witch certainly suits you." He said, glancing at her from the corner of one eye.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cassa demanded suspiciously.  
  
Gav's grin spread. "Your personality, Cassa." He replied innocently. "All witches are really - hey!" He danced away from Cassa's well aimed swat. "All that does is prove my point!"  
  
Cassa couldn't help but laugh; it was Gav's look more than anything. He always seemed completely sincere, and his youthful, honest countenance enhanced this effect. Sandy hair that curled around a boyish face made him look even more innocent than he sounded.  
  
"Humph!" Cassa scowled at him in mock anger. "Well! Maybe I should take my personality elsewhere!"  
  
With an agility born of long practice, Cassa grabbed hold of one of the faster-moving wagons and swung herself on, grinning as tried to catch up.  
  
*  
  
Mitt was under the table, purring as Cassa stirred her fur with one foot. Before her was a young girl who looked perhaps thirteen. She wanted her fortune told.  
  
Cassa surveyed the girl, trying to figure out what she wanted. A sudden sapphire flash impeded her vision, and Cassa saw an image. This girl, older, in white clothes on a Companion? What had her freakish imagination conjured up this time?  
  
Cassa opened her mouth to say some drivel about a long and happy life, but to her shock, found herself describing her imagining.  
  
"You will be a Herald," Cassa said, cursing her tongue. "You will be Chosen by a Companion stallion - soon, quite soon."  
  
The girl laughed. Damn, Cassa thought.  
  
"That's not very likely." She said bluntly. "Me, Chosen? What an idea." She stood, paying the twopenny fare before leaving the tent.  
  
What has got into me? Cassa asked herself distractedly before the next customer came in.  
  
This was a fifteen year old, a shy looking girl who looked superstitious enough to believe that Cassa might really be a witch. Cassa struggled with this girl, too - until another flash of blue light blossomed in her head.  
  
This girl, a woman, older, more confident, dressed in the bright Healer green.  
  
Again, Cassa's tongue betrayed her, speaking this before she could reconsider. This girl, however, did not laugh. She gasped, speaking in a shocked whisper. "How did you know? Father didn't tell anyone but me that the Healers at the temple wanted to train me!"  
  
What? Thought Cassa. It's true? She really is going to be a Healer?  
  
The girl left the tent, and Cassa let her black-stained head fall onto her hands. Oh, this is just too bizarre. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
*  
  
Leena left the "witch's" tent, still laughing. She had only gone to see what the witch would be like, and she had found it even more incredulous than she'd expected.  
  
Chosen by a Companion? Oh, come on. That was the sort of drivel one would tell a baby - and besides, Leena didn't want to be a Herald. I want to join the guard, she thought to herself. I want to fight.  
  
Leena wandered out of the faire. There were no more tents she wished to see, and so she wandered to the outskirts of the small town. The air in the witch's tent had been thick with incense, and Leena wanted some fresh air.  
  
Leena leaned against a wall and stared down the empty road. She heard the sounds of two riders coming, and turned to look, wondering what they wanted - then she froze.  
  
Not two riders, two Companions.  
  
Leena watched in unmixed shock as they approached. Both were riderless, yet bearing elaborate silver and blue saddles. She knew, like all of Valdemar, what that meant, yet incredulity still coursed through her as the large stallion left the leggy mare - A runner and a fighter, Leena thought inanely - and approached her.  
  
:Greetings, Leena,: The Companion's voice said into her mind. :I am Destus, and I Choose you.:  
  
For a while, Leena stood frozen in place, shocked and thrilled. She could feel the love Destus felt for her, filling her heart and soul, but gradually she found that she could speak.  
  
"By the Gods, the witch was right," She said dazedly. Then reality reintruded. "Why are there two of you?"  
  
Destus whickered. It sounded oddly like a laugh. :Camber and I are friends.: He informed Leena cheerfully. :And when our Chosen were in the same area, we decided to journey together.:  
  
"Who's her Chosen, then?" Leena asked, suspicion filling her.  
  
Destus cocked his head, as though listening to the mare. :A girl, your age,: He replied. :Sorry; no more detail than that. If you want to wait, you could meet her.:  
  
Leena thought that it was almost definitely the witch. True, she had not looked to be as young as Leena, but it was dark in the tent, and she probably cultivated a decrepit attitude. She wondered how the witch had known her future, and decided to ask when they met again.  
  
"I think I can wait for Camber." Leena decided. "We can go home, tell my mother and get clothes for the journey, and meet you back here?" This last was addressed to Camber. It did not, strangely enough, seem unusual to be talking to a horse, and Camber nodded her head in reply before trotting away in the direction of the faire.  
  
*  
  
Cassa felt like crying. She was going mad, she knew it. Whenever a customer wanted their fortune told, as soon as she thought about it, she saw some future - sometimes likely, sometimes not. And as soon as she tried to say anything different, she described what she saw.  
  
I really am going mad, Cassa thought. Oh, gods, what am I going to do?  
  
Cassa did not want to see any more customers, but she knew she should. Even she had to earn her way, or leave the faire. She sat up straight on her stool, will power stiffening her spine.  
  
Outside, a whisper laced hush filled the normally rowdy faire crowd. Frowning, Cassa stood, wondering what she had missed. As she stood, a large, white body shoved through the tent flaps - a body surmounted with a horse's head . . .  
  
:Companion.: An amused sounding voice filled her head as she stared into the creatures blue eyes. :Companion, not horse. I am Camber, and I Choose you.:  
  
Now Cassa was certain she was going mad. A Companion Choosing her? Not likely!  
  
Camber took advantage of Cassa's preoccupation to completely enter the small tent. :Why shouldn't I Choose you?: She asked, her voice still faintly amused. :You have a very effective, and very useful, Gift.: She stepped forward, and nudged Cassa out of her semi-trance. :You have foresight; you have seen the future in your head,: She continued. :This gift must be trained. Now, get what you need, say your good-byes, and come with me.:  
  
Cassa felt a wash of relief temporarily drown out the helpless love she felt for the Companion - her Companion - and gladly pulled her pack from its position under the table.  
  
"I can't ride in this costume," Cassa muttered, and pulled the traveling clothes out of her pack.  
  
Quickly she dressed, pulling black dyed hair into her usual, business like tail and wiping her face clean of makeup before carefully fastening the pack behind Camber's saddle.  
  
Mitt jumped on the table, and looked curiously at the Companion. Camber leaned forward until their noses touched.  
  
:Hello,: She Said softly. Mitt rubbed her cheek against Camber's nose and purred loudly. :Who's this?: The Companion asked Cassa curiously.  
  
"This is my pet, Mitt." Cassa sighed as she stroked the cat. "I'll miss her; I wish I could take her with me. I bet the council thinks she can live off her hunting; they won't feed her or look after her . . ."  
  
:Why don't you bring her with us?: came Camber's surprising answer. :The Colegium can certainly spare enough food for her, and I bet all the Heralds would adopt her readily enough.: The Companion nuzzled Mitt, who purred even harder. :Besides, I like her.:  
  
Cassa smiled radiantly. She lifted the cat onto Camber's neck, just before the saddle. Mitt did not even hang on with her claws. Cassa decided that during a gallop, she could hold the cat within her cloak.  
  
That done, she awkwardly mounted, ducking so as not to hit the tent's cloth ceiling. "I need to say good bye to Mother," She told Camber. "Could you go by the dancing tent?"  
  
Camber gave a soft, agreeable snort and walked from the tent.  
  
The first thing Cassa noticed was the crowd. They gathered around, all staring, jabbering away to each other. One little girl shrieked, "Look, Mama, it's a carnival Herald!"  
  
Cassa winced. :Chosen?: Camber sounded confused. :Chosen, what's wrong?:  
  
Cassa tried to stage her reply in the silent mindspeech. :It's - the crowds,: She admitted sheepishly. :I get stagefright when people stare at me.:  
  
Camber didn't laugh, but Cassa caught the echo of faint amusement down the bond between them. Strangely enough, it didn't anger her like it normally would; it was akin to the gentle teasing of a very good friend.  
  
Camber stopped outside the dance tent. Cassa could see not just her mother, but the entire Faire council waiting for her.  
  
"Congratulations, sweetheart," Ceara smiled at her despite teary eyes.  
  
"Yes, congratulations, young Cassa," affirmed Jeralt. He was, nominally at least, the leader of the faire council. He took care of the money as well as being one of the finest bakers Cassa had ever seen. "And as a congratulation, Sunset Faire wishes to give you this." He held out a leather purse to her. Cassa's throat closed in gratitude. Sunset faire was not well off - this was the most hard won of gifts she could have received.  
  
:The Colegium has holidays,: Camber informed her gently. :You can come back to the faire for them,: A mental grin came with her next words. :You could even do a bit of witchery on the side!:  
  
Cassa gave a weak laugh, and relayed the Companion's words. Ceara smiled and Jeralt chuckled, clapping her on the back as Camber turned to ride away.  
  
"Good bye, youngling," He said gruffly. "And good luck." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
*  
  
Leena and Destus reached the rendez vous at almost exactly the same time as Cassa and Camber. Cassa's eyebrows - now rubbed free of the dark makeup that usually covered them - flew upwards in surprise at the sight of the other Companion. Camber had obviously not informed her of Destus' prescence.  
  
"Hello," Leena said, noting in surprise the light eyebrows and the black hair. She herself had waving chestnut hair and green eyes that any witch would envy. "I'm Leena, and this is Destus. You look better without the nose wart."  
  
Cassa started, then laughed. "Oh - you're the customer who laughed at me. Who's laughing now, hmm? And I'm Cassa, by the way."  
  
The Companions began to trot smoothly down the road at their Chosen talked.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Leena smiled, deciding that she was going to like this girl. "I know Camber; Destus said they are friends, and decided to travel together. By the way -" Now Leena looked puzzled, and dreadfully curious. "How on earth did you know I would be Chosen?"  
  
Cassa laughed again. "Camber says I have the gift of foresight, telling the future." She hesitated a moment. "I thought I was going mad." She confessed.  
  
"How does it work?" Asked Leena eagerly, green eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun.  
  
Cassa paused, her face becoming still as she 'listened' to Camber.  
  
"Camber says that I can only see a guarenteed future." She said at last. "Some people can see multiple, optional futures, but I can only see a certain one." She groped for an example. "Like, once I saw that a woman would be married and have a family. The man had already decided to propose, I think, or I wouldn't have seen it. And you; Destus already knew he was going to Choose you, so I could see that as definite."  
  
"Oh," Leena seemed to understand. "Destus, what gifts do I have?"  
  
:Farseeing, and a bit of mindspeech,: Cassa was astonished to find that she could hear him perfectly. :You both have some mindspeech, in fact. Not much, but enough to talk to us and to hear a mindspeaker.:  
  
"Farseeing?" A frown creased Leena's forehead, and Cassa, too, was puzzled.  
  
:You will be able to see what happens, far away.: Destus explained. :You will be a good scout. You will have to be trained, but not for a year or two.:  
  
"And me?" Cassa asked both Companions, not sure which would answer. "Do I need training?"  
  
:Foresight is a difficult gift to train,: Camber answered. :Yours seems willing to come when called. Unless it proves a problem, I doubt you will need any training for a while.:  
  
The Companions had moved into a smooth, endless gallop which ate away at the miles, but eventually they slowed to a walk. Cassa opened her cloak, and Mitt jumped out, perching carefully on the saddle in front of her. She steadied him, leaving the reins, and caught Leena's pop-eyed stare.  
  
"What did you think I had in my cloak?" Cassa teased. "Or did you just think I was fat?"  
  
From Leena's flush and downcast eyes, Cassa decided that that was what she had thought, and she laughed.  
  
The Companions turned of the road at this point, traveling down an almost invisible track which led to a clearing and a waystation.  
  
They stopped, and Mitt jumped lightly to the ground, Leena and Cassa following much more stiffly. Leena groaned aloud, and Cassa echoed her. She had spent her whole life traveling, but never had she sat on a horse for so long!  
  
The companions chuckled. :And now take off our tack.: Camber instructed mercilessly, and the pair unsaddled their mounts, both of which walked to the pool for a drink before lying down on the grass. Mitt immediately jumped onto Destus and sat between his shoulderblades.  
  
:Impudent creature,: Destus commented in passing. :Now; we need to be groomed before you have a wash in the pool. A fire needs to be built, and dinner made. We would appreciate some food just as much as you.:  
  
Cassa looked doubtful. "I can't cook," she confessed. "I can build a fire, and groom a horse, but I can't cook."  
  
Leena looked at her in astonishment. "Whyever not? It's easy!" she asked. "You are a traveler - don't you have to cook for yourself sometimes?"  
  
Cassa shook her head. "I'm with a faire," she explained. "The bakers cook for us all; I never learned."  
  
Leena looked thoughtful. "I know how; my mother taught me. Well, I can teach you to cook, if you'll show me how to groom Destus."  
  
Now it was Cassa's turn to be surprised. "You don't know how to groom a horse? It's easy . . ." She trailed off as she realised she had echoed Leena's own comment. Both girls laughed.  
  
The Companions were groomed to their satisfaction, and Cassa had been taught how to make porridge, before they finally got the baths they wanted. Cassa, much to her relief, was able to return herself to her natural blonde colouration, and both girls managed to clean themselves of sweat and tavel grime.  
  
Cleaned, and dressed in fresh clothing, the two girls relaxed. Mitt lay between them, on the green turf, as Leena stroked her absently.  
  
"I always wanted a cat," she said into the growing dark. "But mother wouldn't let me." She sighed.  
  
Cassa came to the conclusion that Leena did not get on with her mother very well.  
  
"I do love my mother," Leena said quietly, as though seeing Cassa's thought. "But she always wanted me to be perfect, and not to waste time on silly things." Leena made a grimace, unseen in the dark. "My father thought I should be myself. He was a captain in the Guard." She laughed then. "When I turned eighteen, I was going to run away and join the army."  
  
Cassa laughed too, more out of surprise than anything else. Leena did not look like a fighter, but when Cassa thought it over, she realised that Leena was built a bit like her Companion. Tall and sturdy, in spite of inherent grace. Cassa was thin, with long legs and arms. Like Camber, she realised suddenly. A runner, not a fighter.  
  
"What are your parents like?" Leena asked wistfully.  
  
Cassa shrugged. "My mother - she's with the faire, too. She does make up for the dancing girls, she did my makeup. She plays for the dancing girls, and as entertainment." She paused. "My father - I don't know. My parents weren't married. I don't think he ever intended to marry my mother; he ran away when she was pregnant." Cassa shrugged again. "The faire looked after us. He never turned up again. So . . ."  
  
Leena stayed in silent thought for a while. "Let's turn in. We have a long day ahead of us." She yawned hugely, and stood up. "Shall we leave Mitt here for the night?"  
  
Cassa looked at the dozing cat. "I'll bring her in for a while." She decided. "Then she can come and go as she likes." Cassa scooped the cat up in her arms and entered the Waystation behind Leena.  
  
They had already spread blankets over the large bedbox, and now both wrapped up in yet more blankets, and went to sleep.  
  
:Good night, Chosen.: Camber whispered into Cassa's mind. She smiled, and snuggled down into the straw matress.  
  
:Good night.: 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
*  
  
Someone was shaking her. "G'way." Cassa mumbled grumpily. "Le'me'lone. Don' wanna ge' up."  
  
"Too bad," said a voice. "'Cause if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to dump a bucket of water on you."  
  
That threat woke Cassa up. She was in the Waystation, with Leena in front of her, fully dressed and wide awake. She was also grinning.  
  
Cassa scowled. She hated mornings. "What are you doing awake at this indecent hour?" She demanded resentfully.  
  
"It's almost time to go." Leena reminded her. With a groan, Cassa collapsed back on the bed. Leena left the Waystation, but reentered soon. "I really wasn't joking about the water." Cassa looked up. Leena was holding a bucket. A full bucket. Cassa scrambled out of bed.  
  
"You wouldn't dare," Cassa said, already dressing for the day.  
  
"Oh, really?" Leena grinned at her discomfit. "Here," She added "I made you breakfast." She handed Cassa a bowl of porridge.  
  
"Thanks," Cassa sat down on the edge of the bedbox and began to eat. Leena joined her. "Where's Mitt?"  
  
"Outside with the horses."  
  
:Companions!: Destus corrected forcefully.  
  
"Whatever. She brought you some - ah - presents."  
  
Cassa groaned. "Not more neatly severed mouse heads!"  
  
Mitt's one terrible habit was to, when she caught a mouse, decapitate it neatly and leave the head as some macabre offering.  
  
Leena nodded.  
  
"Damn. I just can't cure her of that habit."  
  
The pair finished their breakfast almost simultaneously, and washed their plates in the pond before saddling up their Companions. Mitt jumped without prompting to the saddle, and was enfolded into Cassa's cloak.  
  
The two Companions began to gallop as soon as they reached the road. Cassa had no idea how they managed to keep up the gallop for so long without tiring. At this rate, it would not take long to reach Haven.  
  
With Sunset Faire, it would have taken until midwinter - three moons from now - to reach the Capital, but they were taking an indirect route, travelling at walking pace and stopping at every town on the map. With the Companions, Cassa would not bet on it taking more than a week.  
  
Soon after noon, the travellers reached a town. There the Companions stopped, and Leena and Cassa gladly dismounted. Mitt jumped into Cassa's arms, and Cassa was too shy to approach any of the formidable guards, so Leena approached the guard station. A blue clad roadguard came up to her.  
  
"Greetings," the stocky woman said. "New Chosen, hmm?"  
  
"Yes, m'm," Leena replied politely. "We were wanting some wayfood, if you could spare us some."  
  
"Oh, I can do you one better than that," the Guard said cheerfully. "I'll give you wayfood, and a hot meal for now." She then waved a hand towards Cassa's burden. "I can even find some food for your friend's pussy."  
  
"Thank you," Leena replied, as she and Cassa followed the guard to the inn yard.  
  
The children of the village - and some older - turned out to greet the Companions. Destus and Camber received much more attention than their human partners, but they seemed to enjoy being petted by the children.  
  
The girls were pretty much ignored - to Cassa's great releif - until a little girl of about four arrived at their table. "Can I ride one of the pretty white horsies?" she asked shyly.  
  
Camber approached the table, and leaned down towards her. The girl giggled and stroked her nose.  
  
:Tell her, yes,: she instructed.  
  
After that, every child in the village had to have a ride on one or the other 'horsie', and it was a long time before they got back on the road.  
  
*  
  
Less than two weeks after being Chosen, Leena and Cassa looked at Haven. Dark was descending, and the city was aglow with light  
  
Leena's eyes were huge. "It's so - big," She finished lamely.  
  
Cassa remembered the first time she had seen Haven; she had been a liittle child, traveling with Sunset Faire for the Midwinter festival. She too, had been stunned - and she had spent the whole of her young life traveling. She couldn't imagine how Leena, who had lived in a tiny village all her life, would be feeling.  
  
Cassa reached out to touch Leena's elbow. Mitt jumped from Cassa's saddle to Leena's, and Leena stroked her numbly.  
  
"Come on, my friend," Cassa said cheerfully. "If you don't close your mouth soon, it'll stick open. Let's move."  
  
Destus obediently started forward. Leena adjusted her weight without thinking, still holding the purring Mitt.  
  
"Cassa," she asked suddenly. "What will happen to us at the colegium?"  
  
Cassa knew what she wanted to know, and concentrated, focusing her mind on their futures.  
  
A sapphire flash. The two of them, dressed in emaculate whites, on Destus and Camber, laughing, talking.  
  
"I see us as Heralds," she said. "And as friends, but I can see no more."  
  
:There are too many things that could happen,: Camber told her. :You can only see a certain future, remember.:  
  
By now the Companions were slipping through the gates, and into the bustling city. People looked at them and waved. Cassa felt the usual shrinking stage fright, but Leena waved back. Taking heart from her friend's confidence, Cassa smiled and waved herself. Mitt agilely jumped from Leena back to Cassa, causing stares among the passers by.  
  
Now They approached the palace. A guard clad in midnight blue waved them through a gate, and the Companions trotted up to one of the buildings.  
  
It looked like a stable, but the stalls had no doors - sensible for Companions. A man dressed in Herald's Whites was there waiting.  
  
"Hello, I am Herald Pol." The man smiled at them. He had black hair, barely visible under the silver, which pulled back from his face, a wonderful contrast to his white leather clothing. "Destus and Camber told us you were coming. Normally you would be greeted by several teachers, but the Colegium is very busy. There have been a lot of new Trainees coming in." His eyes fell on the cat sitting proudly on Camber's saddle. "I see you brought a pet. Most Trainees don't; their Companions tend to get jealous." He reached out to stroke Mitt; she purred and nuzzled his hand. "Now, if you follow me, I can show you around the Colegium."  
  
*  
  
Author's note: Yup, it's the same Herald Pol. Cassa and Leena are in King Theran's time. Lavan will be along in 3 or 4 years. For any obsessive readers who memorized Brightly Burning: Yes, Cassa was on the battlefield with her foresight, and Leena with her farsight. But that isn't in this story (At least not yet).  
  
QUESTION: Should I include a chapter on their life at the colegium, or skip straight to their internship assignments? If you have an opinion, please reveiw. In fact, reveiw anyway. I now (finally!) receive anonymous reveiws, so PLEASE give me reveiws! 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Sorry about the gap between updates. My computer, after years of faithful neuroticism, died recently, and so I have to send this through a friend. Because I'm lazy, this chapter is just extracts from Cassa and Leena's colegium years. Next chapter will be their internship. Review, or I'll take even longer!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
*  
  
"Wakey, wakey," said a too cheery voice. "C'mon, it's morning."  
  
Cassa muttered something unprintable.  
  
"Look up." Leena advised cheerfully.  
  
Cassa warily opened one eye, and saw an overfull cup suspended over the bed. Even the threat of the cold water got her out of the comfortable bed. The one time Cassa had decided that Leena was bluffing, she'd had a rude awakening - literally.  
  
Mitt jumped from the bed to rub against Leena's legs. Cassa glared at her.  
  
"Traitor." She muttered.  
  
Cassa dressed quickly in one of the grey tunics the housekeeper had supplied. Annoying though it was to be evicted from one of the most comfortable beds she had ever slept upon, she did not want to be late for breakfast.  
  
Mitt followed as the pair left the room, to stare in interest around the hallway. Although she had been taken, with Cassa and Leena, around the colegium, she had been stopped from exploring.  
  
Another trainee awaited them in the hall.  
  
"Hello," his voice, like Leena's, was far too cheerful at this unholy hour. "I'm Kern. You're Cassa and Leena, right? I'm supposed to show you around." He led them towards the dining hall. "You're the first new trainees to come in. It's a surprise that you came in together. Are you related?"  
  
"No," Leena traded an amused look with Cassa. No one could look less alike than them! "We just came from the same area."  
  
Mitt chose that moment to introduce herself.  
  
"A cat!" The boy seemed surprised. "Is he your pet?"  
  
"She." Cassa corrected. "And, yes. Camber said that the colegium would probably adopt her as mascot."  
  
Kern smiled. "I think you're right. We can probably even get a bowl of finest meat scraps from the cook, for her."  
  
Leena laughed. "She'll get spoilt, and fat, with this easy living!"  
  
*  
  
The breakfast was amazing; the food the best that Cassa at least had ever had available. She had thought that the faire bakers were talented, but the colegium cook could give them a run for their money.  
  
And he had loved Mitt.  
  
The cat had entered the kitchen to be greeted enthusiastically by the trainees. The cook had given them the aforementioned meat scraps, and had suggested that Mitt could remove the few mice that got past the palace rattraps and the animal mind speakers.  
  
Cassa wondered how the Heralds would treat the inevitable mouse-heads.  
  
Lessons would start today, in spite of the fact that three Companions were still out on search. Cassa wondered whether she could use her foresight to find out when they would Choose, but decided against it.  
  
The first lesson was basic orientation; a study that both Cassa and Leena found interesting. The second was geography, moving on to languages and history and a number of others that filled the morning.  
  
It was the afternoon that brought what both girls were looking forward to; fighting and equitation lessons.  
  
The weapons master, Odo, began to teach Leena and Cassa wildly different fighting tequniqes. Cassa was learning sneak-and-run, an acrobatic style that left her muscles aching and bruised. Leena learned a front on style.  
  
Leena had delighted the weaponsmaster with her knowledge of fighting. Her father had supported her ambition to join the army, and had taught her as much as he was able. She wildly surpassed Cassa in skill.  
  
Equitation, however, made up for that. Cassa might not be outstanding, but the faire's trick-riders had taught her a thing or two. Leena still preferred to keep both feet on the ground.  
  
Cassa felt a slight presentiment - not a Foresight vision, for they only came when the future was certain - that this distinction would be extremely important.  
  
*  
  
The other trainees were finally all at the colegium. Ramon, Chosen by Garrett, had arrived first. Dalin, Chosen by Rember, and his twin brother Elad, Chosen by Tumber, had arrived last night.  
  
Ramon was fifteen, but the other two boys were only fourteen. In spite of the disparity in ages, for Cassa and Leena were sixteen, the five got along well. And now it was the lunch break, with one of the cook's famous fry- ups, and Cassa was telling fortunes.  
  
They had been talking about their lives before the Colegium, and they had discovered Cassa's life as a witch. They had, predictably enough, been fascinated, and had requested that she use her foresight on them.  
  
Sapphire flares burst beneath her eyelids as the images formed, flickering through her mind. White-clad riders appeared in her mind. Ramon, Dalik, Elad, Leena, - and hey, that's me - She could identify them, but no more; there faces were blurred, and it was impossible to tell how old the visions were.  
  
Cassa sighed, and opened her eyes. "Well, we all make Herald, but I can't tell you any more than that - not even when. I can only tell the certain future."  
  
"Nothing at all?" Asked Elad, disappointed. He had been the keenest to know his future.  
  
As he spoke, Cassa could see another flash of sapphire in her mind.  
  
This one was - different. It did not show a distinct image. It was a ghostly, see-through vision, and Cassa had the disquieting feeling that what she was seeing was not real, but was a symbol, a metaphor of what would come to pass.  
  
Elad, mounted on Tumber, rode along a ghostly road. The road forked, and Cassa looked down both roads in turn. Both were mazes that twisted and split, each one forming a path Elad's life could take. Each fork was a choice. Which choice would be made was not certain, but that there would be a choice could clearly be foreseen.  
  
Cassa came back to herself, blinking. The vision had only taken a second to see, but her classmates were staring at her, confused.  
  
"I just Saw your life, Elad," Cassa said. The familiar compulsion to tell of what she had seen had come over her. "Each choice you made had its own ending. But I couldn't See what you would choose, or what ending each choice would have." She finished lamely.  
  
Elad looked slightly unnerved. "Weird." Was all he said, but Cassa could tell that what she said meant something to him.  
  
*  
  
There was a thump on the door. Cassa rolled over.  
  
"G'way," She shouted. "It's too early to be up, yet."  
  
"Cassa. Open the door." The voice was not, as she had expected, Leena's cheery tones. This was the voice of Herald Pol, and it was filled with steel.  
  
Cassa mentally cursed her unwary tongue as she hurried to her feet and opened the door. Herald Pol stood there, still dressed in a sleeping roll, holding a purring Mitt in his outstretched hands.  
  
"Your cat," he said grumpily. "Got into my room, woke me up, and left a mouse head," disgust dripped from his voice. "On my bed."  
  
Cassa tried to repress a laugh at the Herald's expression, and kept her mouth tightly shut as she retreived Mitt and placed her on the bed.  
  
"She likes you," Cassa informed him, keeping a straight face with effort. "The mouse was a . . . ah . . . present."  
  
Pol didn't reply as he turned away and stamped off. Cassa managed to control herself until he was out of earshot before beginning to laugh.  
  
*  
  
"You're up early today," commented Leena. "Was the prospect of gift- teaching so exciting that you just had to wake up?" Leena's raised eyebrow implied her doubt.  
  
"I was awoken by an irate Herald Pol, who was returning Mitt," Cassa informed her vaguely.  
  
Leena's mouth twitched. "Mouse heads?"  
  
Cassa remembered the normally impeccable Pol dressed in a rumpled sleeping robe and with silver hair ruffled. It would stay in her memories forever. "Indeed."  
  
Later that day they would receive gift training, to which both were looking forward. Cassa would normally be taught by Herald Evan, but since he was busy with a young student with uncontrollable foresight, they would both be taught by Herald Pol.  
  
"Do you remember the way?" Cassa asked Leena. The 'classroom' was a tiny stone workroom in the bowels of the colegium, with a huge quartz crystal as focus stone.  
  
"I'll lead the way, forgetful one," teased Leena, and the two set off.  
  
Pol - now showing no sign of his early morning adventure, and apparently forgetful of the incident - awaited them in the room. The two sat on cushioned benches, and listened to his lectures of grounding and centering, so they could control their respective gifts. Both managed the trick on their first try, much to Herald Pol's delight.  
  
"Now," he said "Cassa, first, because I know you can do it; focus on the stone, and think about your gift." He held his hand up at her protest. "I know you don't use a focus-stone, but it often makes an image clearer."  
  
With a sigh, Cassa focused her gift, ignoring Pol's murmurs to Leena, to see how she focused her gift. She brought up her gift and concentrated.  
  
There was a flash, and the room around her blurred, then steadied. People entered the room and looked around. One pointed to a door in the wall - unseen before - and Cassa followed them downwards, into a room pulsing with power, a glowing stone filling the room with light -  
  
:I am sorry, Cassa,: came Camber's regretful voice in her mind. :That was something you were not meant to see. A future the Companions will make certain in due time.:  
  
Cassa shook her head - she felt like there had been something . . . But then she was distracted by a vision - why was she about to think another vision? - of people, over a multitude of years, entering, leaving, and all at a speed that dizzied her. She returned to herself with a sigh of relief.  
  
"Now you try." Instructed Herald Pol, and Leena took her place by the crystal, and focused. Then she spoke, her voice blurred with concentration.  
  
"I see Haven," she said, squinting into the globe of crystal. "From above. And I see a cart, on a road, coming to the city. Near some forest."  
  
Cassa moved, brushing against Leena's hand. Suddenly, she, too, could d see the scene Leena had described. She looked down from above at the slow moving cart. Suddenly, a flash hit her eyes.  
  
Here? She thought desperately. But I need to be close to the focus of my foresight to See it, how can I have a vision from here?  
  
Illogical or not, however, the vision continued, with the cart moving impossibly fast and clouds flickering across the sky. With a gasp, Cassa broke the contact.  
  
"That was - weird." Leena said consideringly. "Far sight only moves like real time, but when you linked to me, I could see the future of the scene as well as the present."  
  
Herald Pol looked amazed. "I've never heard of anything like that before," He told them. "I think you two will be a very useful team."  
  
*  
  
Author's note: Internship is coming up! Hooray! Review lots, and I'll write faster. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
*  
  
Cassa relished the feeling of the wind in her face as Camber cantered steadily along the road. Riding was an exercise she enjoyed, and during her years at the colegium riding for hours on end was not something she and Camber had much chance to do.  
  
Leena rode with Destus until they were level. She did not look as cheerful as she normally did; although years of training had greatly improved her skill at equitation, riding was not an activity she enjoyed as much as Cassa.  
  
Herald Garen turned in his saddle in front of them. His hair was as snowy as his Companion, Dara's, and he was probably the oldest Herald still on circuit.  
  
"We'd better put some speed on it, girls, or we'll never reach the waystation by nightfall." He called, Dara moving into a gallop. Leena groaned and Cassa laughed as they followed.  
  
After four years of work, the pair had finally reached their internship - two years older than most, but they had been Chosen late as well. And now they had been placed with Herald Garen, at a place they had not expected to be; the Karsite border.  
  
Cassa had her own suspiscions as to why two internees had been sent to Karse when there was war on the horizon; It was her and Leena's gifts.  
  
If the Karsites decided to invade, Leena would be able to see where, and Cassa would be able to see when. They were the best early warning device the Heralds had available.  
  
Suddenly, even in the gallop, Leena's eyes blurred.  
  
"There's someone crossing the border!" she called.  
  
Dara immediately stopped, and Garen turned again to speak with them.  
  
"How many?" he demanded, "And where?"  
  
"Just the one. He's in white foal pass. I can't tell where he's heading." Leena relayed.  
  
Cassa reached over and touched her hand, linking with Leena. Now she, too, could see the man. He was on a horse, ruthlessly hurrying it over the pass. And he ran into the Valdemaran side and near to the very waystation they were heading for.  
  
"He's going to the waystation," Cassa reported. "I think . . . I think he wants to talk to you."  
  
Garen looked annoyed. "Let's go."  
  
The three Companions began to gallop again, and they reached the Waystation before the man from the vision came cantering up.  
  
This close to, he looked exhausted. He was dirty and his clothing was ripped, and his horse was half dead with fatigue.  
  
"Herald!" He called in surprisingly unaccented Valdemaran, as soon as he came into view. "News! I bring news!" He waved a piece of paper in his hand, and Garen dismounted, walked towards him, and took it from him quickly.  
  
"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Garen asked.  
  
"Bandits, earlier, but I think I lost them."  
  
Something nudged at Cassa's mind, but she ignored it, concentrating on Garen. Leena, too, looked oddly distracted.  
  
Garen read the papers, his forehead knotting in a frown. "This is very important. It has to be taken to the king at once." He told them, remounting Dara. "We may have to gallop solidly to get there in time. Let's head for Haven - "  
  
Suddenly the peculiar unease both his internees had felt clarified into a full blown vision - Bandits, crossing the pass, coming here, galloping horses -  
  
"Garen!" Cassa called - but too late. Ignoring their earlier unease had given the bandits a chance to tail the spy here.  
  
Even as Garen turned to look at her, arrows appeared in his chest. The messenger, too, suddennly sprouted feathered shafts, and the bandits were closing in.  
  
Dara reared in shared pain, almost losing her dying Herald, but he reached out to Cassa, holding the paper in one outstretched hand. "Take it - to the King -"  
  
Cassa took the paper with trembling hands as the sound of a deep toned bell rang in her head, and stabbing pains filled her chest. She had never before seen somebody die, but there was no time for grief. She whirled to face the road again.  
  
Ginning bandits blocked her. Cassa drew her sword and prepared to fight, but inside she knew it was hopeless. She might be better trained, but they could overwhelm her with sheer force of numbers.  
  
She had cut down two without being hurt, but more were closing in. Then Leena galloped up on Destus, face alive with battle-fever, and evened the odds against Cassa.  
  
:Take it to the King!: Leena sent to her in a burst of mindspeech; even a shout could be lost in the clash of blades. :I'll hold them off!:  
  
Cassa knew that this course was the only plan that could work; Camber wheeled and galloped through the path Leena had cleared.  
  
Cassa was the runner; Leena was the fighter. It had always been that way; it always had to be. Destus fought as well as his Herald, and Camber could outrace any other Companion. Sometimes the Companions weren't above Choosing the most likely Heralds to save the Kingdom.  
  
*  
  
Cassa's mind was numb; all that existed was Camber, galloping endlessly along the road. The scenery was a blur, and the few people they saw on the road stared as she passed.  
  
Every bit of her being was concentrated on Camber; moving with the Companion, hunched over her neck to reduce wind resistance.  
  
:Just keep going, keep going.:  
  
Companions could gallop at this speed for a day and a half; two with care afterward. But this mad, mindless run had already taken the night and the day. All that mattered was reaching Haven; Cassa knew that the papers she carried held the fate of Valdemar.  
  
:Just keep going, keep going.:  
  
This gallop was easily three times as fast as the normal Companion speed; a ten day journey to the Karsite border would only take three at this pace. And they had already been on the road for a night and a day.  
  
:Just keep going, keep going.:  
  
Camber was weakening; Cassa could sense her bone-deep exhaustion. She had already outlasted the normal Companion stamina by candlemarks, but not even she could last forever at this grueling pace.  
  
:Nearly there! Just keep going!:  
  
Haven! In the darkening evening, lights shone out, creating a cheery beacon. Cassa nearly wept with releif and exhaustion, both her's and Camber's.  
  
Then they had to weave through trafic that was busy from so many carts returning home, and releif was forgetten and exhaustion repressed.  
  
Finally they reached a gate into the walled palace compound, and Camber managed to pull herself into a relatively brisk trot. She began to head towards the stables in Companion's Field, and Cassa swung off. She had to find the King.  
  
She queried a servant in the palace, and received the information that he was with the council. Cassa didn't even hesitate; she knew that the information she carried was vitally important.  
  
Cassa knocked on the door into the council chamber, and without waiting for an answer, stepped inside.  
  
*  
  
Author's Note: Oh, the tension. Until next time, you will have to hold your breath (Unless you don't care, in which case, don't bother.) REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!!! 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
*  
  
Inside the council chamber, everyone stared at her. If Cassa's mission were less urgent, she would have been prey to a massive attack of stage fright. As it was she bowed to the King, and waited for him to acknowledge her.  
  
King Theran had shoulder length, blonde-brown hair and looked every inch a king. Cassa had never seen him close to before, but recognized him from the few times she'd seen him from a distance, and from pictures. He looked at her curiously, but it was the King's Own, Jedin, who spoke first.  
  
"Cassa! What are you doing here? You were on circuit with Garen!" He said, obviously worried. "Where's Leena? Is she alright?"  
  
Cassa tried to stem the questions with an upraised hand. "Leena was guarding my back trail to stop the bandits making chase." She replied, forgetting that this would only confuse her listeners further.  
  
"Perhaps, my dear," the King said gently "You should begin at the beginning." He gestured at a chair. "Now tell us why you are in Haven, and why you are here."  
  
"Yesterday evening, someone crossed the Karsite border at White Foal Pass. He had a message for Herald Garen." Cassa noticed that Theran and Jedin exchanged a significant look. "After reading the message, Garen said it was very important, and had to be taken to you at once." Cassa pulled the papers from inside her cloak, and gave them to the King. He took them but did not read them. "Unfortunately, the messenger was being followed by a bandit group. My Foresight didn't come active until it was too late." Now she was no longer so eaten up by purpose, Cassa felt grief over Garen's death. "The bandits killed Garen and the messenger immediately. They closed around me and Leena." Cassa grimly contemplated their fate had they not known how to fight. It was not a pleasant one. "Leena held the road long enough for me to escape with the message. I don't know what happened to her." Anxiety replaced grief then; had Leena escaped? Was she dead, or dying, even now?  
  
Theran began to read the papers now that Cassa had finished, but Jedin seemed to have other interests. "You rode from White Foal Pass to here in a night and a day?" he asked incredulously. "No other Herald could do that!"  
  
"I did, with Camber." Cassa had not thought of that before - surely it was a new record!  
  
They might have said more, but one of the great lords of the council - silent until this moment - chose to speak.  
  
"Perhaps the girl should leave now?" He suggested in a slightly patronising tone. "The King will no doubt wish to reveal the contents of the papers."  
  
"I do indeed," Theran said before Cassa could leave. "But Cassa has exhausted herself bringing these here; she should be allowed to know what she has brought."  
  
Not even exhaustion could stop the giddy amazement that threatened to overwhelm her. She was going to sit in on a Council meeting? The very idea was laughable! Yet -  
  
"Herald Garen was our spymaster." Jedin told her. "He has been for years. Only he knows the name of all the contacts and informers in and around Karse. That's why he and Dara were still on circuit, rather than retired." Cassa nodded; this revelation explained a lot.  
  
The King cleared his throat. "These papers are battle plans, invasion plans. The Karsite army is already on the move, towards White Foal pass." Cassa could not smother a gasp, but it was drowned out by the murmurs and exclamations from the council. No wonder Garen's messenger had been followed! Everyone knew the Border bandits were in league with the Karsites. "You and Leena may well have brought information that will save Valdemar; without this knowledge, the Karsites would have overrun us. I convey the heartfelt thanks of the whole kingdom."  
  
"How are we going to stop them?" demanded one panicky Lord.  
  
The King looked grim. "It will be War with the Karsites. They have no advantage, now, but neither do we."  
  
Cassa cleared her throat, feeling extremely self-conscious. "What about that trainee there are so many rumours about?" She asked, blushing when they stared at her. "Lavan Firestarter?"  
  
"That's a good notion," Jedin approved. "But first there's that trial with that madwoman, Jisette."  
  
Cassa listened intently; she must have missed this on her internship. "Trial?" she inquired.  
  
Jedin looked slightly sour. "Jisette Jelnack blames Lavan for the death of her son." He explained. "She hired some murderers to get revenge. Lavan stopped them, but there has to be a public trial to prevent this happening again. And it will," He added. "Jisette is telling everyone that Lavan was responsible for the school fire."  
  
Cassa thought this over. This had great potential for a wonderful piece of theatre. "Could you not reveal the war at the trial, and then introduce Lavan as the hope of Valdemar?"  
  
The King looked surprised. "Where did you learn so much about politics?"  
  
Cassa smiled. "Not politics, Majesty; people, theatre. I worked in a Carnival before I was Chosen."  
  
The King smiled at her. "Well, it's a good idea, and one I wouldn't have thought of immediately. Thank you."  
  
Cassa was astounded. Not even grief or anxiety could spoil this moment; she had advised the king! And he had thanked her! Not many people, or even Heralds, could say that.  
  
*  
  
The elation of the council meeting had quickly worn off, due to exhaustion and anxiety. Cassa had returned to her rooms, to be enthusiastically greeted by Mitt - Mitt had not enjoyed being left alone in the colegium.  
  
Sleep did not come at her calling, in spite of an incapacitating weariness. Cassa had convinced herself that Leena was still alive, but when she tried to See the future, all she found was a dark maze, and many of its endings led only to death.  
  
Finally, Camber intervened.  
  
:You're keeping me awake, you know,: Her mindvoice was waspish. :What are you stressing about now?:  
  
:Leena risked her life for me,: Cassa answered. :And I don't know what happened to her! She could be hurt, or dying . . .:  
  
Camber sounded exasperated. :She isn't dead; the Bell would have rung. And we - the Companions - can still Feel Destus, so I very much doubt she's dying.: Camber's tone softened. :Chosen, I'm worried about Leena and Destus, too. I'd miss Leena almost as much as you would, and I'd miss Destus more than you would -: Cassa smiled slightly. Camber and Destus were one of the few permanent Companion couples in the field. :- but don't lose sleep over it yet. It'll be days before they'd turn up in any case. Now sleep!: Camber ordered. :I'm tired, and your brooding is coming through to me, too!:  
  
:Sorry, Camber.: Cassa sounded penitent. :I'll let you get back to your nap. Good night!:  
  
*  
  
Author's note: Short, I know. Sorry! There haven't been enough reviews to make me work hard. (Hint, hint.) Now - votes for killing Leena. I haven't made any plans, so if you dislike her, I can remove her from the story. Thanks for reading! 


	9. Chapter 9

Another update! A bit short, sorry. I'll have to work on that.  
  
Sorry for the wait, but I have homework and coursework and other evil things.  
  
Since everyone likes Leena, (except for cotg() who suggested that I kill her off) I will leave her in the story. I would like it known that I am not a sadist and I do not kill off charectors for fun.  
  
(And noone is allowed to quote Bloodfire at me! I would like it known that I did NOT grow tired of the story. It WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED if the charectors had survived. And I'm the author, so I should know.)  
  
*  
  
Chapter 9  
  
*  
  
Leena woke up and wished she hadn't. Her head was one massive ache, and lines of firy pain riddling her torso mutely testified to the several cuts she had received.  
  
Her arms and legs were pulled behind her back in an unnatural position, and her cramped muscles complained vehemently. She tried weakly to struggle against the ropes that tied her wrists and ankles together, but a searing pain filled her right arm, and she had to stop or faint.  
  
:Destus?: she thought muzzily to her Companion. :What - happened? Where are we?:  
  
Destus' mindvoice was thick with worry. :The bandits; they overwhelmed you. You took a blow to the head,: This explained the headache, at least. :They took us over the border; we're in Karse now.: Fear drowned the anxiety in Destus' voice. :As soon as a Sunpriest gets here, we'll be executed for witchcraft.:  
  
A chill swept over Leena, wiping the giddiness of her concussion away. :Destus? Where are you? Can you get me out?:  
  
Now the anxiety was back full force. :I wish I could, Chosen.: His voice was slightly sharper than usual with distress. :But after they captured you, I took an arrow in the shoulder. They have me hobbled, by all four hooves. I can't get out.:  
  
:Do the Heralds know where we are?: Leena asked, desperately hoping for a chance of rescue.  
  
:Yes,: Destus replied. :Rolan, the King's Own Companion, can talk to any Companion if he needs to. He found us, and I told him. He says -: The hopelessness in Destus' voice made Leena, too, begin to despair. :- He says their is noone who can help us. He says to escape if we can, send any information we gather - and that the prayers of all the Heraldic Circle are with us.:  
  
*  
  
"What do you mean, no chance of rescue?" demanded Cassa. "They're alive, aren't they? There's always a chance of rescue!"  
  
Cassa had awoken, more than twelve candlemarks after riding exhausted into Haven, to be informed by none other than Jedin, the King's Own, that her greatest friend was captured behind enemy lines.  
  
"Fighting will soon be beginning in White Foal Pass," Jedin said, trying to make her understand. "No one could get through the entire Karsite army, even if they could get to Leena before she is executed. I'm sorry, Cassa, but it just isn't reasonable to beleive that she'll get out of this alive."  
  
With a half stifled sob, Cassa turned and ran back to her rooms. Jedin heard the bolt click shut behind her.  
  
*  
  
Cassa paced angrily around her quarters. The Heraldic Circle had given up, had they? Well, Leena had saved her life by holding off the bandits to let her through, and she'd be damned if she let Leena die on some Sunpreist's fires!  
  
:Camber?: she asked her Companion with grim humour. :Are you ready to go on a suicidely insane mission into Karse, against the advisement of the King's Own, to save Leena and Destus?:  
  
Cassa could feel Camber smile grimly in response. :Any time.:  
  
*  
  
Cassa snuck down to the stables, avoiding others with a skill that surprised even herself. She saddled Camber, and placed the few supplies that she knew she'd be needing in the saddlebags. A non-descript change of clothing, the best medicine she could steal from the Healers and weapons. Leena smiled slightly. Lots of weapons.  
  
Cassa swung easily onto Camber's back, and the pair trotted to the stable door. And stopped.  
  
Rolan was standing in the way.  
  
He was alone, and being perfectly non-threatening. He was just, quite firmly and irrevocably, in the way. With an icy anger building within her, Cassa dimounted.  
  
She glared into Rolan's deep sapphire eyes. "She saved my life." Her voice was quiet and fierce. "Do you really expect me to leave her to die?"  
  
Rolan looked her up and down, and quietly moved aside. A strange, masculine voice sighed in Cassa's mind.  
  
:I'll give you this,: Rolan said to her. :You may be an idiot, but you're a brave idiot. You have a candlemark before I tell Jedin you're gone.:  
  
Cassa felt awed. Destus and Camber were unusual in that they often talked to both Cassa and Leena. Normally, Companions only spoke to their own Heralds.  
  
Now was no time for idle thought, however. They had a friend to save. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
*  
  
Rolan sighed. He had just finished talking to Destus, and contact with the Companion's mind had saddened him. Destus and his Chosen were in despair, unable to escape. Rolan wished he could have told them about Cassa, but giving them hope which could so easily be false would do more harm than good.  
  
One thing they had learned; As the first 'demons' to be caught in this war, Leena and Destus were having a cerimonial send-off. A Voice of VKandis was being sent over from the capital, Sunhame. This would take a few days.  
  
Rolan hoped that Casa and Camber could be there in time.  
  
*  
  
Cassa and Camber approached the camp on silent feet. Even in Karsite territory, there would be some form of sentry. Cassa fingered the bow she held. That sentry would have a surprise.  
  
Still feeling the effects of their previous whirlwind ride, Camber had taken five days to find this camp, climbing through A tiny, unnamed pass that only a goat or a Companion could get through. They'd looped back and found the road that led from White Foal pass - having to avoid soldier's camps on the way - and had at last found the bandit's rough camping spot.  
  
Now the pair circled the camp, silently as ghosts, in their search for the sentry. The moon shone done, giving them some light, but they saw noone awake.  
  
Suddenly, a low snarl echoed in the silence. A dark form - clearly not human, but unlike any animal Cassa had ever seen - leapt from the cover of some bushes. Camber reared, kicking out with her fore hooves, and even Cassa, the perfect rider, was so frozen with shock and fear that she toppled to the ground.  
  
That at least awoke her from her paralytic state. Cassa jumped to her feet, shooting into the darkness that was their attacker, thanking the Gods that she had kept hold of the bow in spite of her fall.  
  
:Won't work,: Camber told her, dodging the thing's claws. :It's a demon - find the summoner!:  
  
Not bothering to ask how the Companion knew, Cassa put another arrow to the string, and turned to face the group of tents. The battle between Companion and demon was taking place in near silence, and noone should have awoken.  
  
There - someone pushing aside his tent flap. Cassa smiled as her guess was proved right.  
  
So the beast woke up his master, hmm? Well, little good it would do him.  
  
Cassa drew and released - the arrow flew true, and with a gurgling sigh, the demon summoner collapsed. The demon, too, dissapeared, and Camber dropped to the ground breathing heavily.  
  
:Are you hurt?: Cassa asked her anxiously.  
  
:Fine,: she was assured. :You'll have to find them; I'm a mite conspiscious.: With a terse nod, Cassa entered the sleeping camp.  
  
Leena was lying near a huge pile of wood. Cassa shuddered, knowing what it was for. She took her dagger, and began to cut the ropes that bound Leena's feet and hands together, behind her back. Leena awoke and began to thrash feebly.  
  
Cassa rolled Leena onto her back. Leena's eyes widened in astonishment at seeing a familiar face. Cassa lifted a finger to her lips, and Leena nodded. Cassa untied the gag, and helped Leena to her feet.  
  
Leena was unsteady, and Cassa held her up as they walked back to Camber. Leena was left holding onto Camber's neck as Cassa reentered to search for Destus.  
  
Destus was lying on the ground, tied to a tree, all four legs firmly hobbled together. His bridle, too, was bound to the tree. The elaborate tack all Companions wore was missing. As she walked closer, Cassa could see that the bridle was not the original, either. It was rawhide leather, and it had a bit - something no Companion would stand. Behind her growing indignition, a part of Cassa's mind idly wondered how badly damaged the hand of the bridler was.  
  
Cassa shook Destus awake, wondering why he was sleeping on the ground rather than on his feet. Her answer came when she found a broken off arrow buried deep in Destus' left shoulder. He wouldn't have been able to yank it out with his teeth, and noone had tended it. It must have been agonizing.  
  
Cassa cut the ropes and the bridle which bound Destus. She then pulled out the arrow, trying to be gentle. Destus staggered to his feet, and buried his nose in her chest in greeting. He followed Cassa as she exited the camp.  
  
A short distance from the as-yet unaware bandits, the two Heralds and the two Companions conferred as to the best method of escape.  
  
:I don't know if I could carry you,: Destus admitted anxiously. :Not and gallop, too.:  
  
:And I'm not strong enough to carry double.: Camber was smaller than Destus, and more delicately built.  
  
"And I don't think I could ride barback at the moment, in any case." Leena told them. Looking as the bloodstains on her whites, Cassa could understand this.  
  
Cassa thought. Surely Leena was quite a bit heavier than she was. Cassa was built on thin, willowy lines, but Cassa was sturdy and well muscled from years of training with Weaponsmaster Odo.  
  
"Destus," Cassa asked hesitantly. "Do you think you could carry me?"  
  
*  
  
Now they were well on their way, moving at a fast canter.  
  
:I could get used to this!: Destus enthused.  
  
:I couldn't,: Camber grumbled. :I definitely Chose the lighter Herald.:  
  
"Hey!" objected Leena. Cassa laughed. In spite of the fact that they were still in enemy territory, spirits were much lighter than they had been for a while. Cassa had used her foresight, and they would apparently reach Valdemar without obstacle. Things were starting to look like a happy ending!  
  
*  
  
The End!  
  
*  
  
Author's Note: Over at last! Hurray! And don't say that I didn't finish the story, 'cos I did. They're all injured/exhausted and don't fight at White Foal Pass. Anyone who's read Brightly Burning knows what happened there, so I won't tell you.  
  
I am going on holiday for ages, so there won't be any more stories or updates until I get back, sometime in January. And then I'll start writing Black Herald, so I will return!  
  
Thanks for reading, if you liked it, please review! If you want to tell me the name of a story you're writing, I promise to read it and review it when I have time.  
  
Thanks, from Lia. 


End file.
